


Why Us? Why Now? Why Ever?

by jayket



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alpha Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Alpha Mikasa Ackerman, Alpha Ymir (Shingeki no Kyojin), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/F, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I said "see that world infested with zombies? ima make it sexy", Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Omega Annie Leonhart, Omega Armin Arlert, Omega Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss, Omega Petra Ral, Omega Verse, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Self-Indulgent, Sexual Content, Zombie Apocalypse, a BUNCH of self indulgent ships here, everyone in the 104th cadet corps are in their 20s, g!p Mikasa, leave me alone, lets see if you can spot them all, omega!annie gives me a lot of feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:15:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28563372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayket/pseuds/jayket
Summary: The world as they knew it had ended thirteen years ago, now the dead dominated the lands. All Mikasa Ackerman cared about was keeping her family safe, her pack. Under her uncle Levi’s leadership, the Alpha would do anything to protect the people she loved.What happens when Annie Leonhart, an Omega who has no problem speaking her mind, threatens that safety? What happens when these two souls are connected by something deeper than meets the eye? Will they be able to sort out their problems, or will then end up killing each other in the process?OrA Zombie AU where Mikasa lives for everyone but herself and Annie steps into her life to stir up emotions she had never felt before.
Relationships: Mikasa Ackerman/Annie Leonhart
Comments: 44
Kudos: 255





	Why Us? Why Now? Why Ever?

“Hey Connie, check this out.”

Mikasa looked over across the room to find Sasha balancing the handle of her knife on her chin, blade pointed towards the ceiling.

A loud laugh came from behind her and Connie went running by, taking his own knife out of its leather holster on his hip.

“I wanna try!” He leaned his head back and placed the hilt on his chin. It fell the moment he pulled his hand back, the steel clattering loudly on the floor. He picked it up and tried again, pursing his lips and widening his stance. The knife swayed for a second before falling again. 

“You're not doing it right.”

“I’m doing it exactly how you are!” 

“I can actually get it to balance.” Sasha teased, sticking her tongue out. Connie grumbled and went to try again.

Mikasa rolled her eyes. Those two were going to get themselves hurt.

“Guys?” She called out, “Can we focus please?” 

Sasha yelped as the blade nearly cut her cheek. 

“Ha! See, you’re all talk.” 

Sasha punched his chest with a dull thud. “Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Am not!”

Mikasa sighed and tuned the two Betas out. She was being ignored anyway. She crouched low to the ground and searched the bottom shelves for anything useful. The three of them had been sent out on a supply run and were currently scavenging through an old pharmacy, though Mikasa knew they weren’t going to find anything. This place had been long-abandoned and was picked dry years ago.

It’d been thirteen years since the outbreak started, Mikasa had been nine years old at the time. She doesn’t remember a lot of what happened that day. She remembers watching the news with her parents, she remembers them being scared, whispering urgently to each other. Then suddenly, the emergency broadcast was cut off by the power going out. They stayed barricaded indoors for three days after that. Mikasa doesn’t remember a lot, but she remembers the screams outside on her street, the gunshots. 

On the fourth day, there was a knock on the door. They knocked three times. 

_Thud, thud, thud._

It was loud, like the person on the other side was using the outside of their hand instead of their knuckles. 

“Don’t answer it.” Her mother, an Omega, said to her father when he got up to check the door. 

“It's probably Dr. Jaeger,” The Beta whispered back. “He probably wants to know that we’re okay, we are neighbors after all." With the only source of light being the few candles scattered around the house, Mikasa watched from her living room floor as her dad walked to the door. He checked the dark window, leaning in and cupping his hands over his eyes. He looked back to his wife and shrugged.

The moment he turned the handle, the door was kicked open, slamming into him. Mikasa only caught a glimpse of the blade before it disappeared into her father's chest. He fell to the floor, coughing up blood and reaching for Mikasa and her mother. Mikasa watched in shock as he slumped all the way to the ground, eyes going dull and blood dripping from his mouth. She heard screaming. She couldn’t tell if it was coming from herself or her mother but it was loud and made her ears ring. 

Three men walked into their living room, all of them Alphas. Mikasa could smell it on them. 

“Well, what do we have here?” The largest of the men walked up to Mikasa and crouched low. He had a bandanna on that covered the lower half of this face, and sunglasses perched on top of his head. His dark skin glistened in the candle light. Mikasa couldn't move. 

“No!” Mikasa’s mother came at the man with a fire poker, bringing it down hard and fast. The man caught it in his hand and whipped his head around. A dominating growl came from his chest, Alpha pheromones thick in the room. Her mother fell to her knees and barred her neck immediately, crying. The man backhanded her across the face.

“Stupid Omega.” He snarled, “You can't stop this.”

Mikasa's mother stayed collapsed on the floor, unable to move, sobbing. The man turned back to Mikasa. “You’re an Alpha.” He looked her up and down, then turned to the other men in the room. “What do we think fellas?” 

“Let's just kill the bitch and take the kid. We don't have time for this.” This one was tall and skinny, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He gripped a machete in his hands. 

“I say we take both.” The other man was watching the door, further away. A revolver strapped to his hip. 

“What? No way.” The one with the cigarette said. “Boss said to only take Alphas.” 

The man standing at the door looked back at Mikasa's mother on the floor. He licked his lips. “She's pretty.” Mikasa wanted to throw up. 

If Mikasa had taken her eyes off of her mother, she would've missed the way her hand snuck under the couch.

Cigarette man laughed. “You’re a sick dude.”

“Shut up.” A growled reply.

“Both of you, clam it and tie the bitch up.” The man under the bandanna sounded annoyed. The Alpha with the revolver immediately started to walk towards her mother, rope in hand. 

“Try not to enjoy this too much, Omega.” He said with a warped smile. 

Before he could grab her however, her mother pulled a pistol out from under the couch and shot the man in the neck with a loud _bang_. He gurgled and choked, falling to his knees. 

It took a few seconds for anyone to react. Then, she whipped the gun around to aim it at the man in front of Mikasa. He dove backwards, narrowly missing the bullet aimed for his head. 

“Mikasa!!” Her mother yelled in desperation. “Run!” She took another shot at the man as he dove behind the couch.

Mikasa found her voice. “Mom I’m scared!” 

“I want you to be scared! You need to run!” She turned and shoved Mikasa toward the door. She stumbled and fell to the ground, scrambling backwards on her bottom until her back hit a wall. 

Mikasa saw the man with the machete come up from behind her mother, raising the weapon high above his head. “Mom!” She screamed. Mikasa watched in slow motion as the large blade came down with devastating speed. Something wet and warm splattered on her face, getting in her eyes. 

She blinked.

The blurry figure of her mother dropped to the ground. She blinked again, the images in front of her becoming clearer. The man stood above her mother's body, his hand and blade soaked red. Mikasa dragged her eyes lower. 

The last thing she remembered was the sight of her mother's mangled body and the stench of cigarette smoke in the air. Something inside her snapped, then, she saw red.

___________

Mikasa was jolted from the memory by a shout from Connie. She stood up quickly. 

“You almost cut off my toe!” He said, wrenching an embed knife out of the ground by his feet. Sasha couldn’t answer through her laughs. 

Mikasa put a hand on her forehead. This was going to be a long supply run. 

A noise to her left made her turn her head and look out the store window. There, on the opposite side of the glass, were four figures, all stumbling around and moaning dully. Their skin was rotten and falling from their bodies, eyes grey and lifeless. 

“Shit,” Mikasa said, “Infected.” She looked over to her companions, they were still screwing around with that damn knife. 

“Hey!” Mikasa's tone was sharp and commanding. The two Betas instantly looked up, the demanding voice of an Alpha cutting through the air and catching their attention immediately. “Eyes up, we’ve got company.” She jutted her chin towards the window.

“Fuck.” Connie muttered as they both crouched low and made their way to Mikasa. Any sign of their playful mood gone and replaced with a sudden seriousness. Mikasa knew those two liked to mess around, but when it came down to it, she knew they had her back, they were practically family after all. 

“How do we wanna play this?” Sasha asked, looking to Mikasa. Mikasa's eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation outside. 

“You two keep the pair in the front busy and I'll slip by to get the pair in the back.” She turned her head back to look them in the eyes. “Good?” They each gave a curt nod. 

Connie crept up to the front door, Sasha right behind him. They sealed themselves against the wall as Connie put his hand on the doorknob and Sasha put her own on his shoulder. After a moment, Sasha gave a quick tap and he wrenched the door open. They moved fast, each welding their own knives that they were playing with not five minutes earlier. 

Connie got to the first infected, kicking out its leg and sending it crumbling to its knees. The thing let out a haunting moan that was swiftly cut off by Connie's knife entering its eye, silencing the creature. Sasha, on the other hand, whistled lightly, grabbing the attention of the other, making it stumble in the opposite direction of the store entrance.

“Mikasa, go.”

The Alpha was instantly on her feet and sprinting toward the pair in the back, both oblivious to what was about to happen. From her sides she unsheathed two long daggers, each blade about eight inches long with red leather grips. She took out the first one before it even turned around, raising her arm and swinging it sideways, driving the blade into the side of its skull. The second one turned at the noise, drool mixed with blood dripped from its mouth. Mikasa easily slipped under its grabbing arm and cut the tendons behind both of its knees. The thing fell flat on its face and Mikasa brought her boot down onto its back, trapping it in place. She spun her dagger in her palm until she had it in a reverse grip and brought the blade down sharply. 

She turned just in time to see Sasha finish off the last one. Mikasa wiped the blood off her blades with a rag until they were clean— a habit she had picked up from her uncle— and sheathe them back onto her sides. She looked to the other two. “Come on, let’s head back, there's nothing here for us anyway.”

“You also have guard duty tonight remember!” Sasha said with a teasing smile. 

“Ugh.”

___________

“They're back!” 

Mikasa looked up as they approached the gate to see Historia and Armin waving at them from the lookout. Historia made her way down the ladder, disappearing from view for a few moments before the gate started to open. The three of them entered and greeted their friends. Historia gave Mikasa a warm hug.

“How was it out there?” 

Mikasa pulled back regretfully. “We… didn't find much.” 

Worry filled Historia's eyes and she lowered her voice. “No heat suppressants?” Mikasa shook her head. Recently, they ran out of heat suppressant pills and with Historia's upcoming heat, the search for them got increasingly more desperate each time someone went out on a supply run. 

Historia bit her lip and glanced at Armin. There were only three Omegas in the entire camp, the two of them plus Petra, and while they could definitely hold their own in a fight, everyone else was fiercely protective over them. Particularly Mikasa and Levi, with them being overly protective of Omegas by nature. The two Ackermans also happened to be the only Alphas in the camp, with the older of the pair being their leader. 

(Mikasa had met her long lost uncle only _after_ the world went to shit, but she figured that was kind of fitting.)

“I’m sorry.” She said to the smaller blonde. 

“Oh, don't worry,” Historia's face was happy and optimistic again, any sign of doubt washed away by her cheerful nature. “We’ll figure something out, I have a couple months left anyway.”

Mikasa gave her a small smile. “I need to go talk to Levi.” Mikasa said, squeezing Historia's arm and walking away. She passed Armin, who was talking to Connie and Sasha, and ruffled his hair on her way by.

She made her way inside. The building they had built their camp around used to be an old police station, and a big one at that. The generators outback gave them electricity and running water, but the building itself looked rather rundown. The paint on the outside was chipped and washed of color and nature had started to regrow over the walls. It made the place look haunted and cold, but this was her home, Mikasa knew it was anything but. The inside itself was clean, and organized. She walked in through the lobby area and made her way towards the back of the building, stopping on her way to put her guns in the armory and drop the supplies off in the old evidence room. She passed stairs to the offices that were now converted into bedrooms, passed the weight room and the shooting range, passed the entrance to the garage, and came up to a split hallway. To the left, there were a couple different interrogation rooms and the room where the holding cell was, and to the right, at the end of the hall, was Levi's office.

She took a right and walked down the hallway. She spoke through the door instead of knocking.

“Levi. We’re back.” 

“Come in.” A muffled reply. She turned the handle and entered the room, Levi was leaning against the front of his desk, arms crossed in front of his chest. She shut the door behind her and stood up straight, hands folded behind her back. Levi may be her uncle, but that didn't mean Mikasa would ever want to be rude to her superior, she had too much respect for him. “Report.”

“We scavenged the area previously discussed. Cleared a total of seven infected, and found food, clothing, batteries, ammunition, and..” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a tennis ball. “A toy for Bean.” She tossed to Levi with a small smirk on her face. He caught it and chuckled lightly, dropping the serious act for a second.

“Hanji will love you for this.” 

“I know.”

He set the ball on his desk and turned back, smile gone and replaced with a stoic expression. “Heat suppressants?”

Mikasa shook her head grimly. 

“Dammit.” He said rubbing his forehead.

Mikasa swallowed, “What are we going to do? Historia—”

“I know, I know.” Levi said with a sigh, “We’ll figure it out. We still have time.” Mikasa still must've looked worried because he came forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don't worry niece, we won’t let anything bad happen to them.” 

Mikasa sealed herself and nodded curtly. Levi let go and grabbed the ball off his desk. 

“Now come on,” He said, patting the side of her head. It wasn't exactly gentle, but coming from him, it made Mikasa feel warm. “Let's go give this to Hanji, they're gonna be so excited.”

____________

To no one's surprise, Hanji was absolutely _thrilled_ to get a new toy for their dogs. 

“Mikasa, how shall I ever repay you.” They said, cupping the ball in both of their hands and raising it towards the heavens. “Sawney! Bean! Behold, our angel brought you a gift.”

Mikasa chuckled as the two german shepherds fell over themselves running back to the Beta. “It’s really no problem. The boys needed some love anyway.” She crouched low and pet Sawney's ears, he licked her face in response. 

“Well you’re damn right about that. I swear these guys pull more weight around here than Eren does.” Hanji said throwing the ball, watching the two dogs run after it. 

Levi laughed loudly and Mikasa rolled her eyes with a small smile, standing up.

“Did you find the batteries I needed?” Hanji asked Mikasa.

“Yep, already in the supply room.” 

“You, my friend,” They grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly, “Truly are an angel.” With Armin’s help, Hanji was hoping to build a couple of long distance radios for the crew, but was still missing a few critical components. Thankfully, they could now cross batteries off the list. 

Mikasa chuckled. “You're welcome.” 

“By the way,” They started, taking the ball from Bean's mouth and throwing it again. “I think Eren was looking for you, something about your shift tonight on guard duty.” 

Mikasa nodded. “Thanks, I’m going to go find him.” By the time she turned away, Hanji was already talking about something else to an amused Levi, gesturing animatedly with their hands. Mikasa smiled to herself and walked off.

Mikasa went back inside and headed toward the offices upstairs where Eren's room was. She saw that the door was closed and, again, spoke through the door instead of knocking.

“Eren?”

“Come in!”

Mikasa pushed through the door and smirked as she watched her brother hop around on one foot, pulling his boot on, while simultaneously trying to make his way to her for a hug.

“Please, don’t hurt—”

_SLAM._

“... yourself.” 

“Ow.” Eren said, rubbing his nose as he got up from where he fell. “My face.” 

Mikasa laughed out loud. Her brother never failed to make her smile, even if it was by accident. She walked to him and gave him a quick hug which he returned.

“How was the run?” He asked, pulling away.

“It was ok.” Mikasa shrugged. “We didn't find what we were looking for though.”

Eren grunted in response and went to put on his other boot. He sat on the edge of his bed and started to work on his laces. Mikasa leaned against the door frame.

“Hanji said you were looking for me.”

“Oh yeah. I know you and I were supposed to be on look out tonight, but Jean got sick and he was supposed to be on perimeter with Armin. Armin said he wouldn't mind patrolling alone but—”

“No, you're right. One of us should be with him.” Mikasa said seriously. 

Eren nodded and stood up, grabbing his knives, he put one on his side and the other hidden in his boot. “Ok, I’ll be on perimeter with him then. Sorry to leave you by yourself on lookout.” 

Mikasa waved him off. “It's ok. I would feel better knowing someone was with Armin anyway. Especially if it's you.”

“Talking about me?” 

Mikasa turned and saw Armin standing behind them with a smile on his face.

“Of course.” Mikasa said teasingly. “Heard Jean got sick.”

Armin nodded. “He’ll be ok, he’s with Petra in the infirmary right now. She just said he needs some good rest. I let Connie and Sasha know.” 

“Good.” Mikasa checked her watch. They had about four hours until they were on duty. “Ok, I'm going to take a nap, can one of you wake me up when it's time?”

Eren nodded. “Sure.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you guys later.” 

The two boys waved her goodbye and she made her way to her own room. Once she got inside she shut the door behind her with a sigh. She was exhausted. Mikasa sat on her bed and removed her shoes. She thought back on the day as she flopped down onto the mattress.

She hadn't thought about her parents in awhile. The Alpha hated remembering that day, the day she was too weak to save her family. She doesn't remember anything past seeing her mother's dead body on the ground that night. She had woken up a few days later in the Jaeger household. They had asked her what happened and Mikasa recounted the events numbly, feeling nothing. They told her that the other two Alphas must've escaped, Dr. Jaeger only found three bodies, those of her parents and another with a bullet hole in his neck. 

(She knew the other two Alphas didn’t escape unscathed though, even if her mind couldn't remember, the torn flesh around her knuckles and the deep cut on her cheek told the story. She still had those scars to this day. A reminder of her failure.)

Mikasa growled and squeezed her eyes tightly, she could smell cigarette smoke in the air around her. Her knuckles throbbed with phantom pain.

_Don’t go there._ She forced big breaths in and out of her lungs until her hands stopped shaking. Eventually, she fell asleep with her parents' names on her tongue as she drifted off.

_________

_Thud, thud, thud._

“Don’t answer it.”

“It's probably Dr. Jaeger. He probably wants to know that we’re okay, we are neighbors after all." 

Mikasa looked around, she knew this place. She had been here too many times before. Mikasa opened her mouth to speak, to warn her father about what lies past the doorway, but no sound came from her throat. 

She watched the door get kicked open and the blade disappear into her father's heart once again. He fell to the floor and reached out for her, blood leaking from his mouth. He spoke. “How could you let this happen?” 

Mikasa felt tears well up in her eyes. The Alpha with the bandanna around his face crouched low in front of her. 

“Why are you just sitting there? Get up. Help them.” His voice was echoey. Mikasa scrambled to her feet and ran toward her father.

“Dad!” She was running, but the harder she ran the further away he got. She pushed herself faster, only to find she wasn’t going anywhere.

A scream from behind her. She whipped around but her mother was already on the floor, mangled and bloody. Something wet and warm and _red_ started to drip down her face and into her eyes. She blinked desperately, trying to clear her vision. Then, the stench of cigarette smoke invaded her senses, becoming so thick it was hard to breathe. She fell blindly to her knees coughing. 

“Coward.” 

She looked up through the blood and smoke to find the man with the machete. His hand dripped with her mother's blood as it gripped the weapon. He took the lit cigarette out of his mouth and put it out on Mikasa's skin. She screamed in pain. 

Then, the environment was shifting and the Alphas were gone. Only the bodies of her dead parents lay in front of her. Her mother started moving.

“Mom?” Mikasa whispered. Her mother shifted again. “Mom!” Mikasa ran to her side to help her up.

When her mother turned her head, Mikasa gasped and reeled away. Her eyes were grey and lifeless, the skin on her face was pale and cold. Her mother groaned dully.

“Mom, it's me!” Mikasa cried. The plea fell on dead ears. She heard another groan and spun around. She saw her father stumbling to his feet, eyes just as grey, skin just as pale.

“No, no, no…” Mikasa’s face was stained with tears as she was backed into a corner by her parents. No, these weren’t her parents, not anymore, they were something else now.

Her back hit the wall and all she could do was watch as these things with her parents' faces stumbled forward. She crouched to the ground and put her hands over her ears. 

“It's not real, it's not real.” She squeezed her eyes shut and stayed there for what felt like an eternity. 

Then, slowly, she released her hands and opened her eyes. The environment had changed again. She was back at the police station. 

She looked around curiously. Everything was still. _Where was everyone?_

Mikasa smelled something in the air and took a whiff. It smelled sweet, like a mixture of lavender and citrus. It drew her in like honey drew in flies. She needed to find whatever it was. She followed the smell through the building, entranced.

She got to the split in the hallway, the smell led her to the left and to the back room where the holding cell was. Here, the scent was the strongest, it made Mikasa's heart thump and head cloudy. She pushed the door open. 

“Mikasa…” A whisper in her ear. She jumped. 

She didn’t recognize the voice, it was soft and feminine. Mikasa looked around frantically. The scent was heavy, as if someone was in the room with her, but Mikasa was alone. 

“Mikasa.” The voice spoke again. 

“Where are you?” Mikasa asked the empty room. The Alpha put her hands on her head and spun in a circle, searching the small room wildly. Her chest felt heavy and her breathing became frantic as her search for the source of the scent became more desperate. “Please!”

“Mikasa!”

______________

Mikasa bolted upright in her bed with a gasp. 

A dream. 

She put a hand to her hammering heart and exhaled. Mikasa was no stranger to recurring nightmares, but she had never experienced a dream like _that_ before. The scent of lavender still lingered in her nose. 

“Hey, Mikasa, wake up.” 

Eren was speaking to her through her door. She looked at her watch. _Guard duty._

“I’ll be out in a second.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. She heard his footsteps walk away from the door. 

Mikasa pulled herself out of bed and got dressed, her mind still far off in thought. When she finally made it out of her room, she saw Eren and Armin waiting for her not too far away. 

“Ready?” Eren asked when she got close enough. Mikasa nodded and they all headed for the front door.

“You ok? You smell anxious.” 

Mikasa glanced over at Armin. “Yeah, just had a nightmare.” Armin nodded in understanding. 

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

Mikasa gave him a look.

Armin sighed, “Alright.”

Eren and Armin walked her to the front gate where the lookout post was. The sky was dark, and the only source of light came from either the building behind them, or the moon above. Marco and Mina, who were currently on watch, saw their approach and descended down the ladder looking relieved. They exchanged quick hellos and a fast update before then headed back to the base.

“Ok, radio if you guys need anything.” Mikasa said, then started to climb the ladder. 

“You got it.”

_____________

Shifts normally lasted around five hours before a new group rotated in. Mikasa held in a yawn as time made its way into the third hour of her shift. She never realized how much it helped having another person on duty with her. It kept her awake, alert. Now, she had nothing to do to kill the time besides watch the front gate and occasionally check in with Eren and Armin. They made their way by her every half-hour, she used them to count the minutes, marking it off every time they passed. 

Mikasa was sitting on the stool when she heard a rustle in the trees beyond the gate. She stood and squinted out in the darkness, but didn't see anything beyond the faint glow of the base behind her. She took out a hand-held spotlight, and pointed it in the direction of the noise. An infected came stumbling out of the trees. Mikasa smirked and grabbed the crossbow that sat next to her, putting her walkie-talkie up to her mouth.

“I got one infected past the gate. Gonna get it with the crossbow.” 

_“If you hit its eye, I’ll give you twenty dollars.”_

“Eren, you do realize that money has no value anymore, correct?”

_“Sounds to me like you don't want twenty dollars.”_

Mikasa rolled her eyes. “I’ll take care of it. Over and out.” She clipped the walkie-talkie back to her side and raised the weapon. She rested it on the arm that held the spotlight and placed the stock into the crook of her shoulder. Mikasa breathed deeply, took aim, and squeezed the trigger.

The arrow whizzed through the air and struck the infected right in the forehead, going through its brain and out the back of its head. It hit the ground with a stiff thud. 

Mikasa lowered the crossbow and grunted in disappointment. She really was aiming for its eye.

Then, Mikasa heard another twig snap just past the tree line and raised the spotlight once more. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She scanned the area twice over but still, saw nothing. Mikasa clicked off the light and tried to elude the weird feeling. She wasn't going to freak herself out by being paranoid. 

Another ten minutes passed before Eren and Armin walked by again. 

“Do I owe you twenty dollars?" Eren called up. 

“No. Now will you focus on your job please.” She responded with a slight smile. 

Eren sighed. “You're no fun today.” Armin chuckled and pulled Eren along, continuing on their way. 

The seconds ticked by and all the Alpha could do was wait and watch. Mikasa stretched her arms above her head in her seat, thinking about her duties tomorrow, when something caught her attention. She shot up from her stool, knocking it over in the process, and sniffed the air. Could it… no, it couldn’t be. She took another big whiff. Mikasa's eyes widened.

Lavender. 

The scent was heavily masked, by what she didn't know, but the more Mikasa paid attention, the stronger it seemed. It was coming from the direction Eren and Armin just walked from.

She got out her walkie-talkie. “Do you guys smell that?” 

_“Smell what?”_ Armin asked.

“I don’t… I don’t know, it smells like..” She sniffed the air again, the scent seemed to hit her harder this time. “You guys seriously don’t smell that?” Mikasa walked to the edge of the platform and looked in the direction of the sweet aroma. 

_“No,”_ It was Eren this time. _“Is everything ok?”_

“Yeah, yeah.” Mikasa said, distractedly. What _was_ that? She had to go find out. “I’m going to go check it out.”

_“Wait Mikasa, don’t_ — _”_

She stopped listening and turned the volume down on her walkie-talkie as she jumped down the ladder. 

She jogged along the fence, following her nose. The Alpha stumbled over a small log but continued on, too worried about finding the source of the smell to care about her pride. 

When she came up to a section in the fence, she slowed her pace to a walk, seeing something caught in the chain links. When Mikasa got closer, she realized that not only was there a piece of ripped fabric caught in the fence, but the fence itself had a hole in it, big enough for a body to fit through. 

Mikasa was suddenly on high alert and her head cleared. Her instinct to protect her family, her pack, overrode any other distractions. She was no longer worried about the sweet smell. 

Mikasa scrambled for her radio. “Guys! There's a gap in the fence on the east side.” She plucked the piece of fabric off the fence and put it up to her nose. Lavender and citrus.

_“What!? We just came from there!”_

“Go warn Levi, tell him we have an intruder. Hurry, I’m going to see if I can catch them.” Mikasa took off using the ripped cloth as a reference to follow the smell through the air. Like she noticed before, the scent was dulled, almost to the point where she couldn't smell it. But her senses were in high gear, she wasn't going to let this person get away. 

She made her way through the camp and followed the scent towards the back of the building where the generators were. The area wasn't well lit and it was hard for her to see. The smell was getting stronger so she slowed down, careful not to make a sound. 

She almost rounded the corner, but stopped in her tracks at the sound of a hushed voice. She pushed her back against the wall and crept forward. 

“Something’s happening. The whole camp is suddenly on high alert.” A female voice whispered.

Mikasa's eyes narrowed and she unstrapped the glock attached to her thigh. She brought the gun up defensively and took a deep breath, ready to step around the corner and confront whoever was on the other side. 

“That doesn't make sense, we watched the patrol walk by. We should have another twenty minutes before they find the gap.” A male voice spoke quietly. 

Mikasa's heart jumped. There were more than one? Why couldn't she smell them?  
  


The Alpha peaked around the corner to get a better look.

Her eyes widened. There were three people standing behind the building. All of them had a weapon out and their bodies were covered in mud and dirt, no doubt being the thing that hindered their scent. There were two guys and a girl, she couldn't tell what dynamics they were, making their presence even more unsettling. Mikasa didn't know what to do, she was good, but not good enough to take down three armed people, all of whom were larger than her.

The tall man with blonde hair spoke up. “We don't know if it's because of us though. We only need ten minutes to do this, let's just get in, take their shit, and get out.”

“Are you crazy?!” The girl with brown hair and a freckled face asked through gritted teeth. “Let's get out of here while we can. You've seen these people, they've got numbers.”

The tallest of the bunch, a skinny man with brown hair spoke up nervously. “I’m with Ymir. We gotta go.” The blonde man ran a hand over his face. 

Just then, there was movement as a short girl with blonde hair came running around the opposite corner. She had mud smeared over her face and body like the others did and seemed out of breath.

Mikasa blinked. The sweet smell had returned, and it was coming from her. 

“Annie! Did you find a way inside?” The other girl asked. 

The small blonde, Annie, shook her head, breathing heavily. “No, we have to go before we—” She stopped mid sentence and sniffed the air. 

Mikasa's stomach bottomed out when icy blue eyes snapped to meet her own. She was caught. All of a sudden, four sets of eyes were pinned on her. 

Well, there was no use in continuing to hide. 

She stepped around the corner and raised her gun. The blonde man and freckled faced girl raised theirs in return and stepped forward, growling. The tallest man gripped a machete in his hands and Mikasa tried not to flinch at the sight of the familiar weapon.

Annie however, had not raised her weapon yet and Mikasa studied her curiously. The short blonde had a knife in her hand, but it was still down at her side, as if she were distracted by something. She never looked away from Mikasa's eyes. For whatever reason, the brunette tingled pleasantly at the attention, but made sure to not show it on her face.

“Who are you?” Mikasa's tone was like steel, hard and aggressive, showing the intruders that she was, in fact, an Alpha. Her voice seemed to snap Annie out of whatever trance she was in and raised her weapon as well, face devoid of emotion.

“Back up.” The blonde man stepped forward. 

Mikasa growled, pulling her lips back to show her teeth threateningly, her pheromones thick in the air. The two with the guns didn't flinch, holding their ground steadily. They must’ve been Alphas.

The other two had a different reaction. The tall brown haired boy took a half step back but didn’t lower his weapon. A Beta. He looked nervous, like he was ready to bolt at any second. Annie, on the other hand, let out a harsh breath and lowered her weapon. 

Despite the situation, this piqued Mikasa's interest. Mikasa watched as Annie struggled to keep eye contact, her throat bobbed up and down, and her hands were gripping her knife tightly. She saw sweat start to form on the small girl's forehead as she glared at Mikasa. The Alpha let out another warning growl and released more pheromones, curious to see what would happen. Annies growl back was weak and shaky, like she was trying to throw up a facade. Mikasa tilted her head, if she was an Omega, she sure as hell was a stubborn one. 

The blondes’ companions looked at her uneasily before the Alpha girl, the one called Ymir, stepped in front of her, blocking Mikasa's view of the blue eyes, jamming her gun at Mikasa's face. 

“Hey!” She snarled. “He said back up.” 

The two Alphas in front of her started to advance and Mikasa prepared herself for a brawl. 

An arrow zipped through the air before a fight could break out and stuck itself in the back of Ymir’s palm. She screamed and dropped the gun. Mikasa looked to the rooftop to find Connie and Sasha training their weapons on the four intruders below, the latter knocking back another arrow into her bow. Mikasa inhaled through her nose and sensed her packmates closing in. 

Mikasa smirked. “Give up. We have you cornered.” 

In an instant, the large blonde Alpha charged forward with incredible and unexpected speed. Mikasa barely had time to dodge the incoming fist.

“Reiner!”

“Get Annie out of here!” He screamed, throwing another punch. Mikasa was more prepared this time, but that didn't stop her eyes from widening as she heard his fist blow by her ear. He was _strong_. 

Mikasa ducked under another swing and hurled the butt of her gun into his ribs. He stumbled for a second but recovered just as quickly. Another arrow was shot from above, going through the man's shoulder. He shouted in pain and stepped back, clutching his injured arm. He pulled back his lips into a snarl and Mikasa did the same. She raised the gun again, aiming for the other Alphas head, ready to take him out. 

White hot pain exploded through her side. She grunted and put a hand over the assaulted area. She felt warm liquid between her fingers and knew she was bleeding. She looked over to see Annie gripping a bloody knife. The smaller girl looked back with wide eyes, the top of her head came up to the bottom of Mikasa's mouth.

Both Annie and Mikasa stood there in shock, not knowing how to react to one another. Annie's scent had again hit Mikasa's nose and something was stopping Annie from using her weapon a second time.

“Who are you?” Mikasa already knew the girl's name, but that’s not what she was asking.

The girl looked up at the Alpha's face, and Mikasa's heart pounded in her chest. Her face was caked with mud but Mikasa couldn't look away from her intense blue eyes. Mikasa felt like they cut straight to her soul. Annie started to open her mouth, her response hung in the air between them. 

“Mikasa!” Eren and Armin came barreling around the corner, breaking the weird tension in the air. 

Suddenly, Annie was being dragged away by Ymir. The shorter girl stumbled for a second before she got her feet underneath her and started to sprint. All four of them made a break for the fence. 

Mikasa took off after them, hearing her Eren and Armin close behind, but quickly had to slow down because of the searing pain in her side. 

Ymir shouted at the two boys. “Reiner! Bertolt! I've got Annie, you guys go!” The two boys broke off in the opposite direction. 

Mikasa was torn, she was wheezing with every breath and each time her foot struck the ground, pain shot up her side. The Alpha made a split-second decision and ran in the direction of the two girls, yelling at Eren and Armin to go after the other two. She heard them peel off behind her and she was alone again. She gritted her teeth and ran through the pain, feet digging into the ground as she pushed herself faster. The gap between them began to shorten. 

“Stop!” She yelled once she got close enough. 

Ymir pulled Annie in front of her and shoved her forward. “Go!” They were both breathing heavily and starting to slow down. Annie could see the fence come into view and tried not to think about the barbed wire wrapped around the top of it. 

The sound of barking behind them made Ymir curse loudly and Annie's eyes widen with fear. Dogs. 

Mikasa was right on their heels now, one wrong move on their part and she'd have them. With a final push, Mikasa leapt off the ground and flung herself at the running legs of the blonde girl. Her arms wrapped around her waist and they both tumbled to the ground. They rolled for a couple yards, Annie’s knife coming out of her hand in the process, before they skidded to a stop. Annie was immediately struggling in her grasp and Mikasa had to scramble on top of her, pinning her wrists down, straddling her hips. 

“Annie!”

“Stop struggling.” Mikasa growled out, the pain in her side becoming harder to ignore.

The girl below looked at her with a fierce glare. “Get _off!”_ Annie's head cracked against Mikasa's nose. The Alpha swore and her tight grip on the girl's wrists loosened. 

A second set of arms grabbed her from behind and tried to yank Mikasa away, but she held firm, her thighs tightened around the hips below her, trapping the small body in place. The Alpha girl behind her warped an arm around her neck and secured her in a headlock. 

“Let her go, bitch.” The demand was sneered into her ear.

Mikasa felt the beginnings of panic swell in her chest. If the other girl cut off her air supply, she’d be done for. The Alpha became desperate and let out a loud, imperious growl. The sheer force of it rang through the air and stopped her attackers mid-movement. Ymir recovered first but by then it was already too late. A split second of hesitation was all she needed. 

Mikasa reared her head back and slammed it into the chin of the woman behind her. She didn't give her time to recover as her elbow ripped through the air towards Ymir's ribs. It landed with a sickening thud and the tallest of the three fell away from the pair and onto the ground, coughing loudly, chest spasming. 

Then, like two angles from heaven, Sawney and Bean were on her immediately. Sawney pounced and got a grip on the girls forearm, sinking his teeth into her skin to keep her in place. Ymir screamed in agony as he viciously whipped his head back and forth, tearing into her flesh. Bean circled around them closely, watching their every move, barking madly. 

“Okay!! Okay, fuck you got me!” Ymir was panting like she was on the verge of tears, the pain in her arm was paralyzing. “Tell it to let go.”

Mikasa let out a breath. That was too close. She heard footsteps in the distance coming fast in her direction. _Good. Back up._ “You are going to stay right where you are. If you so much as move a muscle, I’ll have him rip off your god damn forearm.” Mikasa gritted. Ymir laid her head on the ground and nodded, taking ragged breaths. She looked utterly defeated. 

A shift from underneath her had her whipping her eyes back to the girl below her. Mikasa realized that she still had the blonde pinned between her thighs and around her wrists. Annie wasn't looking back though, her eyes locked on her friend a few feet away.

Mikasa studied the girl's face. She seemed outwardly impassive, and Mikasa probably would have fallen for the act too, if it wasn't for the emotion swirling in the girls eyes. She looked… sacred. Not angry, but scared. If she didn't have the mud smeared all over her, Mikasa was sure she would be able to smell it.

“Ymir…” Her suspicions were confirmed when Annies voice cracked with the word. Mikasa felt something drop into her gut at the sound, and loosened her vice grip. The action brought terrified blue eyes snapping to her own. Mikasa swallowed.

“Look, just don’t do anything stupid. I'm not going to hurt—”

“Sawney! _Aus!”_ The german command fell from Hanji’s lips and the shepherd unclenched its jaw, releasing Ymir’s arm. The appendage was bleeding badly, dripping down the tall girl's arm and onto the grass below. _“Pass auf!”_ The two dogs stood on guard as their owner came running up. 

“Holy shit Mikasa! Are you ok?” They asked.

“Fine.” Her side burned. Mikasa turned her head when she heard more footsteps. Levi skidded to a halt with Petra and Eld right on his tail. 

Levi took in the situation before his eyes landed on his niece. “Mikasa—”

“Petra, her arm is torn up, she needs medical attention.” Mikasa jutted her chin at Ymir and pulled at Annies wrists, bringing her up into a sitting position. “I need some handcuffs.” 

Eld tossed her some links and moved to do the same with Ymir. Mikasa crouched low before the blonde, avoiding her piercing stare, and wrapped the cuffs around her wrists in a bind. Not too tightly, but secure enough so she couldn’t move her hands. They both ignored the way they trembled in Mikasa's grasp. 

Only when the two intruders were secured did Hanji give their dogs the command to relax. _“In ordnung!”_ The pups were immediately yipping playfully with their owner as they were praised for their good work. Hanji let the two dogs tackle them to the ground, laughing. 

The rest ignored them and focused on getting their captives on their feet. Petra had her sweatshirt wrapped tightly around Ymir's injured arm as she put pressure on it. Ymir glowered at the ground, her pride injured more than her arm, not doing anything besides throwing worried glances in Annie's direction every once and awhile. And while Annie tried to school her face as impassively as she could, Mikasa was close enough to see the pinch of distress in her eyebrows. 

Petra and Eld started to walk Ymir back towards base. Mikasa sighed and got to her feet, pulling Annie up by the cuffs, giving a soft “come on.” She didn’t know why she was being so gentle. When she straightened her shoulders however, the cut on her side throbbed and she couldn't stop the grimace that passed over her face. 

Levi was on her immediately, “What's wrong?” 

“Nothing, I’m fine.” 

He only raised an eyebrow. 

Mikasa exhaled through her nose. “It's just a small cut, I’ll get it checked over once I—”

“Show me.” 

Mikasa's eyes narrowed at the man in front of her, but eventually relented due to his serious gaze. With one hand still latched onto Annie's elbow, she lifted her shirt with the other to get a good look at the injury, seeing it for the first time herself as well. She flinched at the amount of blood that dripped out of the wound. While the cut itself wasn't very deep, it was the length and the placement of it was the problem. Annie had dug about a four inch wide gash in the soft tissue between her hip bone and ribs. _Perfect._

Levi hummed in the back of his throat. It sounded casual, as if he was remarking the weather outside. 

“Which one?”

“Huh?”

“Which one gave you that?”

Mikasa opened her mouth to tell him it didn’t matter, that it was her own fault for being so careless either way. Annie spoke before she could. 

“Me. I did.”

Her voice was as hard as her glare and the two Alphas looked to her in surprise. Levi had a more subdued reaction while Mikasa’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. She was bold to speak to them like that, even if Mikasa couldn't pinpoint her exact dynamic just yet, she knew she wasn’t an Alpha. Mikasa was aware of the fact that herself and Levi had a powerful presence, she saw it in the faces of everyone new that they met, how their gazes dropped to the floor when they entered a room. Of course, anyone in their pack wasn’t subjected to their display of power every time, but they sure as hell knew when to not talk back or piss them off. This was definitely one of those times, and here was this tiny girl doing just that. She looked into both of their eyes definitely, and while she looked like she was struggling to maintain her front, she wasn't backing down either.

Well, at least until Levi took a deliberate step forward. He didn't even have to say anything, the menace in his gaze was more than enough for the small blonde to look away quickly. Annie gritted her teeth and bared her neck to him. Something in the gesture unsettled Mikasa to her core and she felt her hackles rise. She suppressed the urge to growl and stepped between them.

“I’ll take her to the holding cell.” She said to Levi. 

He stepped forward again, “You go get that side checked out, I’ll take her—”

“No.” She interrupted, the fingers that were curled around Annies arm tightened possessively. 

At this, Levi didn't bother hiding the surprise on his face.

“No?”

Mikasa shifted her feet and pulled Annie’s body closer to her side. “I’ve got her.” She couldn't explain why she was doing this. It was rare for Mikasa to not be able to pin down an emotion within herself. It made her antsy. She had yet to shake the girl's scent from her nose. 

Levi looked at her with a calculated stare, and she could feel Annies anxious eyes glancing between the two of them. Mikasa wasn't one to dismiss a challenge so easily, but the look he gave made her remember her place. 

She cleared her throat and stood up as straight as she could with her injured side. “Uncle, could I speak with the captives later and gather information.” 

He gave her a curious look before looking away and taking Annies arm in his own hand, pulling her with him. Mikasa let her go hesitantly. “Sure. Now please, go get that side looked at.” The older Alpha sounded exasperated. 

Mikasa jerked a nod. “Alright.” She made eye contact with Annie once more before she spun on her heel and made her way towards the infirmary. The faster she got patched up, the faster she could see her again, and the faster she could find out what the hell was happening to her.

_________________

Mikasa shoved her way into the infirmary and instantly felt overwhelmed. There were way too many people bustling around for how small the room was. Mikasa scanned the area. Ymir was sitting on a table in the front corner with her hands bound and eyes to the floor. She glared at it like it had personally offended her. Petra was stitching her arm while Eld stood close by in case she tried anything. On the bed just across from them sat Sasha and Connie next to a sleeping Jean, the duo tossed berries to each other across his bed, trying to catch them in their mouths. In the very back, she saw Armin talking to Historia, they were leaning over someone on the bed. 

_Wait. Armin?_

Mikasa’s heart jumped into her throat and she ran up to the group in the back, ignoring the way Ymir's head snapped up to track her across the room. 

“Eren!” The two blondes turned to look at her. 

The Alpha should've known what to expect. There, on the table, laid an unconscious Eren with a nasty gash on his forehead. Historia was dabbing the cut with some cream.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be alright. He’s just knocked out.” Historia’s voice was soothing. This was hardly the first time Mikasa saw her brother out cold, but still, the sight of blood always made her apprehensive.

She looked at Armin. “What happened?” She asked, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.

Armin sighed and rubbed his eyes. Mikasa took this chance to scan him quickly, protective eyes searching for any wounds. “They got away. The blonde Alpha punched Eren in the face so hard his feet came off the ground.” 

Mikasa gritted her teeth. She knew how strong the Alpha was and she sent them after the two men anyway. What was she thinking? They could’ve gotten hurt. Eren _did_ get hurt. She was too distracted by that blonde girl with blue eyes to think clearly. And now, by her orders, Eren was injured. How could she be so careless?

“Mikasa,” Armin put a hand on her shoulder and she realized she was growling softly. “It’s ok, you did what you thought was right.” 

For whatever reason, she turned her head to glare at Ymir. The other Alpha was already looking back at her and they stared at each other for long seconds, having a battle of wills. Neither wanted to look away first and the room became thick with their pheromones. Conversation throughout the room died down and the three Omegas in the room shifted uneasily. Armin tightened his grip on her shoulder and Petra had stopped stitching due to the slight tremor in her hands. She could hear Historia's accelerating heart rate behind her.

“Alright!” Eld stepped in, ever the mediator, and broke the tension throughout the room. Ymir rolled her eyes and looked away. Mikasa tried not to look too smug. “Mikasa, why are you here?”

“I need stitches.” She said plainly. 

Petra looked over. “Show me.” Mikasa lifted her shirt again. “Ouch, what did that?” 

Ymir chuckled but kept her eyes on the ground. Mikasa shot her a warning look. “A knife.” She gently poked at her side, at least it had stopped bleeding. 

Petra nodded, “Historia?”

“Got it. Mikasa, go lay on the table next to Jean.” 

Mikasa nodded and made her way over, wincing as she sat down.

“You ok?” Sasha asked. 

Mikasa nodded and gave her a smirk. “Don't worry about me.” 

Sasha looked at her carefully. Mikasa supposed you could call the two of them good friends. Of course she would always have Eren and Armin, but it was nice to have someone of her own gender she could talk to sometimes. That person was Sasha, of all people. “Being an idiot again?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes, no real annoyance behind it, and poked Sashas forehead lightly. “Worry about your own two idiots.” Connie perked his head up from Jean's bed and gave a small, protesting “hey!”— Mikasa and Sasha shared an amused look before Historia came up with the stitching supplies. The Alpha laid on her back.

The process was easy enough and only took about fifteen minutes total. Petra was still working on Ymir's arm by the time Historia clipped off the excess thread and wrapped her side. Mikasa got up from the table and readjusted her clothing. 

A groan from Eren had her head jerking up and she was at his side immediately. 

“Wha.. happen’?” He asked, groggily.

Mikasa stroked his forehead, careful of the bandages there. “You got knocked out.” She watched his brow furrow, as if trying to remember, but he quickly noticed the unfamiliar scent in the room. He shot up in his bed and glared daggers at Ymir. She only raised an eyebrow and looked back at him quietly, almost bored. 

Historia pushed him back down. “Eren, stop it.” 

He gritted his teeth and his eyes were blazing. “Why isn't she locked up?” He looked at Mikasa. “You got the other one too?”

Something rousted inside of Mikasa at her mention, but she smashed it down before it could show on her face. “Yeah.” She nodded, unable to think of anything else to say. 

Eren shifted his eyes back to Ymir and growled, “Good.” Historia diverted his attention by stepping in front and checking his eyes with a flashlight. 

The room was quiet for a few minutes. It wasn't necessarily tense, but it definitely wasn’t comfortable either. Only the soft instructions from Historia echoed through the room. Finally, Petra declared she was done. 

“Alright, let's get you to your room.” She pulled Ymir up to her feet and the taller girl begrudgingly followed. Mikasa didn't like the idea of Petra being in the room alone with Ymir, and she was already opening her mouth to offer to take her, but it turned out she didn't need to.

The orange haired woman turned to her. “Would you mind taking her to one of the interrogation rooms? I need to check up on Jean.”

“Of course.” The Alpha replied, and took Ymir's arm into her own. 

“Historia,” Petra continued, “Go with them, stop by the supply room, grab her some water and a rag. A change of clothes too, she's filthy.” Histroria looked surprised but nodded her head anyway, and gestured for Mikasa to lead the way. 

The three of them walked through the building with Mikasa keeping a firm, almost painful grip on the other Alphas arm. Luckly, they were in the very back of the building, so they didn't pass many others on their way to the supply room. Most people were still asleep anyway. Every person they _did_ pass however, shot Ymir a dirty look, she just dished it right back to them. Once they got there, Historia made quick work and got the supplies for Ymir. Once they were off again, Historia kept her eyes on the ground in front of her. Mikasa stole her a glance, the blonde was weirdly quiet, but she just figured it was because of the presence of a stranger, an Alpha stranger no less. 

“Would you ease up a little?” Ymir spoke, she sounded uninterested either way. 

Mikasa growled quietly. “No.” And tighten her grip further to prove her point. If she dug her nails into Ymir's skin a little to make her wince, well, that was her business. They approached the door to one of the interrogation rooms and Historia walked ahead to unlock it. Once it was open Mikasa roughly pulled Ymir through the door. There was a table and chair in the center of the room. They were bolted to the floor so there was no way to move it, but there was also a mattress with some blankets in the back corner. Historia placed the waters and change of clothes on the table. 

“Hey blondie,” Ymir started. Mikasa heard Historia take in a quick breath. “Tell this knothead to take it easy, I'm not going anywhere.” Historia’s lips pulled into a thin line and kept her eyes to the ground.

“Shut up.” Mikasa said.

Ymir ignored her. “Hey! I’m talking to you Omega—”

She was slammed against the wall, forearm to her throat. Mikasa seethed, her eyes were simmering with fury and a deep rumble came from within her chest, threatening. Fear crept into Ymir's eyes at the sight of the other Alpha in front of her. The hate on her face was palpable. 

“Do _not_ talk to her like that.” 

“Mikasa, relax.” Historia placed her palm on the back of her neck. It was cool compared to her burning hot skin. 

Mikasa still glared but it held less heat than before. She wasn't used to dealing with other Alphas. With Levi, they never had to assert dominance over one another because they were family, a pack. Now, she didn't want to admit it, but she felt vaguely threatened by the other girl's presence, it made her snappy and tense. These two trespassers were making her emotions all out of whack and she hated it, hated not being in control. 

Mikasa grunted and stepped away. Historia's arm fell from her neck. “Historia, go to the door please, I’m going to uncuff her.”

(If she were paying attention, she would have seen the way Ymir's gaze followed the small blonde to the door, and how Historia blushed when they made eye contact. How the smaller girl gritted her teeth in frustration and spun on her heel to walk away. How Ymir's face fell ever so slightly as she watched her go.) 

She undid the links as quickly as she could, not wanting to spend anymore time around the other Alpha, and started to walk out, intent on slamming the door behind her. 

“Wait.” Ymir stopped her, but she didn't turn around. Her voice was still hard, but the aggressive tone was gone. “Where's Annie? What did you do with her?” 

At this she _did_ turn to face the other girl. And while she knew she didn't have to answer the question, she saw genuine worry in Ymir's eyes that made her hesitate.

“She’s fine.” Mikasa said after a moment. “Just in another room. We’re going to talk to her soon.”

“She’s not going to want to talk to an Alpha.”

Mikasa prickled. “Why not?” 

Ymir shrugged lightly and surveyed her room, rubbing her wrists. 

Mikasa took the time to study the girl in front of her. This was the same girl that took a dog bite for Annie not thirty minutes ago, the one that tried to get her out of danger. Mikasa felt something close to understanding flow through her. The two of them were a pack. Ymir acted the same way she would have if Armin or Historia were in danger. 

“Just know, if any of you touch her, I swear to God I will—”

Mikasa growled, “ _Look._ ” She caught the other girl's eye. “I won’t hurt her, ok?” The sincerity in her voice must've taken her by surprise because Ymir's eyes widened slightly. She nodded her head slowly, and Mikasa turned to leave.

(It was only after she closed and locked the door that she realized she said ‘I’ instead of ‘we’.)

Mikasa swiveled from the door and immediately made her way down the hall, ready to confront the blonde that had stabbed her, but stopped in her tracks as Levi exited the room where the holding cell was, and also, where their captive was as well. 

He looked at her, “Come with me, we need to talk about what happened.” 

Mikasa desperately wanted to argue. She didn't have time for a debrief, she wanted to talk to the other girl _now._ Levi must've read it on her face because he continued, “Just ten minutes, then you can start questioning.”

Mikasa gave a terse nod and followed her uncle to his office. They pushed their way inside, Levi took a seat at his desk and watched his niece pace across the room in front of him. They were quiet for a few minutes. Mikasa’s brain was working too fast, she didn’t know where to start.

Levi sighed impatiently, “Talk.”

Mikasa groaned in frustration and sat down in front of him. “They cut through the fence on the east side of the camp. They must’ve been watching Eren and Armin on patrol because I heard one of them saying they knew our routes. When I confronted them, they took off. I should've gone after their leader, the blonde Alpha, but I didn’t. Their escape and Eren's injury is on me.”

Levi studied her. “Hm. How did you know they were here? They were all covered in mud. Nobody, not even me, could smell them through that.”

Mikasa ran a hand down her face. As if she knew. “I don’t know.” And she really didn't. How was she able to smell Annie through that layer of earth covering her body? “I only was able to smell one of them, the blonde girl. At first I thought it was only her because I only smelled one person, but when I got to them I realized there were more.” 

Levi raised an eyebrow. “The Omega girl?”

Mikasa's heart stuttered. “She's an Omega?”

“Yeah, after she got out of those filthy clothes and cleaned herself up, she reeked of it.” 

Mikasa's brain immediately went to a grim place and she shot up from her seat. “What did you make her do?” She asked through gritted teeth, her eyes were dark with suspicion.

Levi scowled at the accusation. He stood from his chair slowly, leveling her with a cold stare. Mikasa was suddenly reminded of his power and swallowed, his dominant pheromones invaded her senses and she fought the urge to look away. Anyone else would be pissing themselves right now.

“Calm down brat, I didn't do anything of the sort.” He growled. “You know me better than to think I'd stoop so low.”

Mikasa felt a flicker of guilt. He was right, her uncle was an honorable man, if nothing else, she knew that. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”

Levi looked at her like he was figuring something out. “What does she smell like?”

“What?”

“The Omega, Annie was it? What does she smell like?”

Mikasa's pupils dilated. “Lavender… lavender and citrus.”

Levi sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. What a pain in his ass. Why did this have to happen now? For now he would let them be, he needed advice first. He looked back at his niece who was standing rigid in front of him. She looked like she was about to sprint out of the room and to the girls cell.

Levi grunted, “Alright, you can go. Find out why they were here and if there are more of them. Do _not_ enter her cell.”

Mikasa looked relieved. “Yes uncle.” And she was gone before she even finished talking.

Levi got up from his seat and left his office. This could get messy, he really needed to talk to Petra.

Mikasa wasted no time and practically ran to Annie’s room, but paused with her hand on the door knob. It was only then she realized she had no idea what to say to the Omega. 

She took a deep breath, and pushed through the door. 

Finally, Mikasa had her alone. The smaller girl was pacing back and forth in the holding cell. Annie had stripped herself of her hoodie that was now tossed aimlessly on the bed. She no longer had dirt covering every inch of her body, so Mikasa felt like she was looking at her for the first real time. No obstructions. The Alpha took her in, sight and scent. She was small, yes, but Mikasa could see the corded muscles of her arms and stomach through her tight long-sleeve. She had survived the outbreak this long for a reason. 

Annie narrowed her eyes. “Ever heard of knocking?”

Mikasa narrowed her eyes back. “We have you locked up, not the other way around.”

“It's called having decency.”

“Decency my ass. You broke into _our_ base and planned on stealing _our_ shit.” 

“Whatever.” She continued pacing.

Mikasa suppressed a growl at her blatant disrespect and disregard to the situation she was in. “Want to tell me why?”

“Not particularly.” 

Mikasa rolled her eyes and pulled a chair up to the bars and sat down. Annie shot her a glare, but ignored her past that. Mikasa observed her through the metal, the girl had frustration oozing off of her in waves. Mikasa would’ve chalked it up to her capture, but stalled at the vulnerability hiding in the blonde's eyes. She decided to start asking her questions.

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t answer to you, _Alpha_.” She spat back immediately, stepping up to the barrier between them. 

Mikasa felt her own frustration rise and stood, advancing on the bars. “What do you want from us?” She asked, with more force this time. 

Annie pulled her lips back and growled. Her face was pulled into a tight lour and she matched Mikasa's gaze. The Alpha felt something stir in her chest at the girl's defiance, but it wasn't anger she felt, no, it was _excitement._ Mikasa was never challenged in this way. As an Alpha, people generally tended to approach her in a mild manner, but Annie? Mikasa saw the hate through her gaze and suddenly she wanted to know just how far she could push her. How much it would take to make her break. 

Her scent must've changed because then Annie swallowed thickly, Mikasa tracked the movement down her throat. The Alpha noticed there wasn’t a mating bite on the crook of her shoulder, and she couldn't tell you why the sight made her stomach flutter. She wanted to push her face into her neck and inhale her scent straight from the gland. When did this room become so hot? Mikasa's hands felt clammy just from being so close to the other girl.

The smaller girl exhaled harshly and whipped around, backing away from the bars.

“Go away. I'm not telling you shit. You really want me to talk? Send in an Omega, I’m tired of looking at your face.”

Well now that was just rude. 

“Seriously!?” Mikasa snarled.

“Dead serious.” 

“Watch your mouth.”

“And I’d watch your back.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Just go away!” Annie shouted. 

Mikasa was taken aback, she had expected Annie to be angry, but that wasn’t the case, she sounded upset. They looked at each other again for a long minute. Annie stayed quiet and sat on her cell bed. She held her face in her hands and let out a shaky breath. “If you’re going to make me talk then just get it over with.” Her voice was more timid when she spoke this time. 

Mikasa tilted her head in question before she realized what the blonde was insinuating. Confusion turned to guilt. 

“I’m… not going to do that.”

Annie’s head shot up in surprise. Worried blue eyes searched brown for any indication of a lie. She found none. The Omega curled her arms around herself. “Well, why not? You're an Alpha and I'm an Omega. You could, if you wanted to.”

“An Alpha shall never abuse their power like that or else they get ripped to shreds by dogs. Those who do are cowardly scum.” Mikasa's voice was hard with conviction. She looked at the girl through the bars. She looked uncomfortable and tense, the brave facade she was waving earlier was starting to fall. Annie was no longer making eye contact and her hands trembled as they gripped her sleeves, she looked small. Not physically, although she was small in stature, this was different. Mikasa watched as the girl's big personality seemed to shrink inwards. 

Mikasa felt a deep pull in her stomach. It made her want to open the cell door and take her small body into her arms. To tuck her head under her chin. Mikasa wondered if Annie felt a pull too. It was like an invisible thread was attached to the center of her chest, connecting her to Annie. The closer she was to the other girl, the more taunt it became. 

The Alpha suddenly felt entirely too big. She was towering over the small blonde and she didn’t like how the girl was almost cowering away from her, as if she could strike at any second. Mikasa cleared her throat and stepped back from the bars, sitting on the ground instead. 

“I’m not going to do that.”

Annie again searched her eyes. “Okay.” Her voice cracked.

Mikasa wanted to reach out to tell the girl to come to her, she wanted to see her up close. Annie slid down to the floor, knees pulled to her chest, back resting against the bed frame. 

Mikasa kept her eyes averted. She normally never had an issue using her normal intimidation tactics to get people to talk. She was used to growling and showing her teeth as a way of communication that way. 

(She, of course, never had to use her dynamic too aggressively to the point of complete compliance, Levi had taught her better. A true Alpha should lead honorably.) 

But in this situation, Mikasa genuinely felt uncomfortable with the idea of Annie getting forced to talk. Why? She didn't know. 

She looked back with a softened gaze. “I need you to give me something. Tell me why you're here. ” 

Mikasa studied the small blonde on the other side of the bars. Annie swallowed the lump in her throat. She kept her eyes on the ground. Her worry looked intense, far more than it should've been. Like she had something else to worry about, besides being locked in a cage. 

“Let me talk to an Omega, please.”

The brunette tried to ignore the flash of disappointment she felt. “Why can’t you just talk to me?” Blue eyes again locked with brown and Mikasa's heart jumped violently.

“I can’t, not about this.”

Mikasa wiped a hand across the back of her neck. This isn’t how she wanted this interaction to go. She wanted to stay. To learn about the girl sitting across from her. Why was she feeling like this? So drawn to her. 

The Alpha nodded in defeat. “Okay.” She got up from the ground and dragged her feet to the door. 

“Your name is Mikasa?” 

The way she said her name gave Mikasa chills. The brunette glanced back, Annie still had her eyes to the ground. 

“Yeah. And you’re Annie.”

The Omega only nodded in response and Mikasa bit her tongue to stop herself from asking another question. 

She turned away. “My friend Armin will be in soon. Do you… need anything?”

“...No.”

And Mikasa left, pulling against the tug of the thread as she walked away. 

______________

For the second time that night, Mikasa was pacing around her uncles office, only this time there were more people with her. Petra, Hanji, Eld, Levi, and herself were all waiting anxiously for Armin to finish his conversation with the other Omega. Well, Mikasa was anxiously waiting, everyone else was lounging about. He had gone in there a while ago. What were they talking about?

A dim light had started to fill the sky and the birds started to chirp. It was finally morning, but Mikasa felt more awake than ever.

Levi was sitting in his chair, talking softly to Petra while she leaned against his desk. Mikasa ignored the way they glanced at her every few minutes. To the side of the room, Hanji had thrown themselves on the couch, snoring softly, Eld was next to them in a chair, reading. Mikasa seemed to be the only one who couldn’t keep still.

“Mikasa, baby, try sitting down. Pacing around won't make anything go quicker.” Petra said. The Alpha mellowed at the term of endearment, she had known Petra for just as long as she’d known her uncle, Petra had called her the pet name when she was a child and it just stuck. 

Mikasa sighed and flopped herself down on the unused portion of the couch. Hanji jolted awake at the intrusion.

“Gah! What! What happened!?” They asked while frantically searching for their glasses.

Eld didn't even glance up from his book. “Nothing Hanji, go back to sleep.”

They found their glasses and wiped the lenses on their shirt before putting them on their face. “Well it's too late for that now, I’m already awake.” They looked at their watch and seemed pleased with themselves. “Two hours of sleep, that's more than enough.”

“How you function on such little sleep is the world biggest mystery.” Levi muttered. Hanji shot him a wink and Levi rolled his eyes when Petra giggled. 

“Where do you think these guys came from?” Mikasa asked, changing the topic entirely. 

“Hard to say,” Eld said and closed his book. “Could be the group fifty miles south of here, who is their leader again?” Eld looked at Levi for an answer but the older Alpha just shook his head. 

“No, that group is led by Erwin Smith, we made a treaty a long time ago. This wasn't him.”

“I find it hard to believe that a couple of kids would do this on their own volition.” Petra stated.

“They're hardly kids Petra, they all seemed to be about Mikasa's age.” Hanji said back. “How old are you now? Twenty-two?”

Mikasa nodded and Petra sighed. “Still too young to be so careless with their lives _and_ with taking life.” She glanced at Mikasa and the Alpha was suddenly reminded of how easily she had aimed her gun at the blonde Alpha before. She was a muscle twitch away from pulling the trigger and she didn’t even think twice, still wouldn’t. She sunk further into her seat and kept her eyes on the ground.

Since her parents, the concept of death had never bothered Mikasa. She had been around it for basically her entire life, of course she would be numb to things like that. Death and killing. But, as Mikasa got older, she realized that not everyone was like her. She met people like Armin, Petra, and even Sasha who would look at her with great sadness whenever she talked about it so casually. She couldn't imagine losing anyone in her pack though, just the thought of losing Eren or Armin made her incredibly sick. It was more her own life she felt apathetic too. 

Levi must've seen a dissociative glaze coming over her eyes because he spoke up quickly. “Petra, drop it.”

Just then, Armin spoke through the door. “Levi?” 

Mikasa snapped out of it and was on her feet instantly.

“Well I guess we're about to find out.” Levi murmured to Petra. “Come in, kid.”

Armin stepped through the door. “Um… hi.” He said to the five sets of eyes that were glued on him. 

“Armin. What did she say?” Mikasa asked.

He glanced at her nervously. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any good news. There’s more to discuss but this needs to be dealt with right away.” He took a deep breath and focused his gaze on Levi instead. “Apparently they were trying to steal our nonexistent heat suppressants. She goes into heat in three days.”

Mikasa's mind went blank. Or rather, thoughts were running through her head so quickly that she couldn't distinguish a single one. Either way, she couldn't hear the rest of the conversation through the ringing in her ears. Heat? In three days? Mikasa turned for the door. She needed to get to Annie. 

A rough hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned with a light growl and found her uncle standing there. She stopped growling but didn't look away. 

“And where the hell are you going?”

“Let go. I’m—” _Going to protect Annie._ Mikasa suddenly realized how crazy that sounded. Why was this girl triggering her Alpha instincts? The ones she only felt with her immediate pack? Her eyes widened at the implication, what was happening to her? Mikasa shook her head, it didn’t matter, she still needed to get to Annie.

Levi must've read her mind because he yanked her back further into the room and pushed her down on the couch. Mikasa hated the way she had to look up at him.

“You are not allowed in that room until her heat has passed.” 

“The fuck!?” She stood only for him to shove her back down again. She wrestled down the growl that rose in her chest. “But we're all out of heat suppressants.” She said, almost wildly.

“I know.” Levi turned to the rest of the group, “Armin, please go back and ask her what she's going to need, water, blankets, food, a change of clothes, anything, bring it to her.” The boy nodded, sending one more glance at Mikasa before he left. “Petra, what kind of medicine do we have to help?”

“Not a whole lot, but I can see what I can do for the pain when the time comes.”

Levi grunted. “Eld, Hanji, check the guard duty schedule and make a separate one for the holding cell while she's in heat. Make sure all the guards are Betas please.”

“You got it, boss.” And the other three left the room, leaving Mikasa and Levi alone.

Mikasa exhaled through her nose to try and calm herself down. “Levi, why can't I—”

“Because you are an unmated Alpha and we currently have an unmated Omega locked in a cell about to go into heat. You won’t be able to stop yourself, and that goes for the other way around too.”

Mikasa stepped back. “You… you really think I have no self control?”

Levi sighed, “It's not that kid, I know you do. But in situations like this, our instincts outweigh our logic every time. We can't risk it.” 

“She’s not safe. At least let me be her guard, I can help—”

“I said ‘no.’ What do you want me to do? You want me to throw her outside the gates, let the dead get her while she’s defenseless? What safer place is there for her right now other than here, in a guarded room with supplies that can help?” 

Mikasa wanted to punch a wall. _She’d be safer with me._ “So you expect me just to sit here for over a week, doing nothing but wait to get our information? ”

“Last time I checked we had two prisoners.” 

The younger Alpha gritted her teeth. She still felt a pull in her chest, tugging her in Annie's direction. It was getting harder and harder to ignore. 

“Niece.” Mikasa looked at her uncle with blazing and conflicted eyes. “Trust me on this.” Mikasa internally took a step back. She trusted him more than she trusted herself, her uncle was rarely wrong about stuff like this. Mikasa groaned in defeat. Fine. She would wait out the girl's heat, then, in a week, she might be able to have a real conversation with the other girl. 

There was still something else that she needed to know. “You won’t have anyone _in_ the room with her, right? You’ll have them stationed out in the hall?” Her fists clenched just at the thought of someone else being near Annie during her heat. 

Her uncle studied her. He opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped and shook his head. Mikasa raised an eyebrow, he’s been acting odd since the initial break in. After a moment he spoke again. “Yes, they'll be out in the hall. If she needs anything, Petra will bring it to her.”

Mikasa thought for a second before nodding. That was acceptable. “Fine.” And she turned to leave, she wanted to find Eren. 

“Mikasa.”

She looked back at Levi.

“I mean it, as of now, you are not permitted to go into that wing.”

Mikasa eyebrows pinched together. She glared at the ground. 

“Yes uncle.” 

_________________

She tried waiting it out, she really did, but the past couple days were complete torture for the Alpha, every time she walked into the building she would get slapped in the face with the Annies scent, it was getting stronger by the hour. On the second night she couldn't even sleep. The sweet aroma of the other girl _and_ thought of the Omega in her cell, not having anyone to comfort her through her heat, alone… it was making Mikasa go insane. It got to the point where Mikasa had shot up her bed in a hot sweat from a very vivid dream she was having about the small blonde. She had ignored the tightness in her pants and took an _extremely_ cold shower. 

She couldn't wait any longer and Mikasa made her move two days after their conversation in his office when Levi was out on a supply run. She told Eren about her plan that morning. 

“You're kidding, right?”

Mikasa shrugged. “Levi will be gone, plus I only need a few minutes to ask her my questions.” 

“Hey!” He head-butted her, a normal occurrence really. “You got a death wish or something?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes at her brother's dramatics and rubbed her forehead. “Would you chill out? Nobody will even know, Sasha’s guarding her room tonight, it’ll be fine.”

“I don't think you understand the severity of this situation. What if you lose control? Then we have something way more serious to deal with other than you disobeying Levi.”

Mikasa growled slowly, though Eren wasn't phased, he was used to her expressing emotion like that. “Why doesn't anyone think I’ll be able to control myself? I have more control over my dynamic than even Levi does.”

Eren sighed, “In certain situations, yes. But this is uncharted territory for you.” 

“Not true, remember I used to cuddle with Armin during his.”

“When we were twelve! This is entirely different.” Eren pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, I won’t snitch and I’m not going to stop you either, just be smart about it. Don't lose yourself when you're in there, okay?”

Mikasa nodded, “I won’t.”

Later that night Mikasa was in her room sitting on her bed. Her leg was bouncing in anticipation, and she was glancing at her watch ever once in and while. She wanted to make sure her uncle wasn’t coming back. When she was sure he wouldn't show up, she waited another ten minutes just to be sure, then left her room, ready to finally ask the Omega her questions.

The back hall was cleared of people besides Annie's guard, per Levis orders, so she didn’t encounter anyone on her way there. Good, the more people who didn't see her the better. 

She rounded the corner and saw Sasha sitting on a chair outside the door, she had earbuds in that were plugged into an old CD player, eyes closed and bopping to the music. She was probably listening to her rock music again. How that thing still worked Mikasa had no clue. The Beta didn't hear her approach, Mikasa kicked her leg lightly and her eyes flew open.

“Shit Mikasa, you scared me.”

“I can see that, you should probably pay more attention to your job.” Mikasa didn’t mean to sound hostile, but her blood was pumping through her veins impatiently. Her finger tips prickled with eagerness to see Annie in the flesh again. 

Sasha took the device out of her ears. “Right. Sorry.”

“I’m going to question the prisoner.” Mikasa said, trying to act casual.

Sasha tilted her head. “Levi said for no one to enter this room until he gets back tomorrow.” 

“I know. I’ll be fast. Don’t worry, we can keep this our secret.”

Sasha shifted uncomfortably then stood. “Hey uh… ” She looked nervous.

“What?”

“It's just... Are you sure you wanna go in there?” Mikasa raised an eyebrow in question, and she rushed to explain herself. “You know because of her up-coming heat and all that. You can smell it through the door already so maybe you shouldn’t—”

“Think I can't control myself?” Mikasa snapped.

Sasha's eyes widened and shook her head, “No! No, nothing like that I just…” She glanced from the door back to the Alpha in front of her. She sighed, “Nothing, never mind.”

Mikasa looked at her with narrowed eyes and put her hand on the door knob. “Keep watch for me, I won’t be long.” She didn't wait for a response and pushed through the door, shutting it behind her. 

She almost choked with how thick the air was in the small room. She could smell how close the Omegas heat was, it was filling her senses as if she were standing right there between her legs. Mikasa involuntarily took a whiff. She still smelled of lavender and citrus, yet, it had a certain musk to it that made Mikasa's pupils dilate and her mouth water. She smelled...amazing. She glanced into the girl's cell to find the Omega laying on the tiny bed. She had her knees pulled up to her chest, facing towards the wall. Mikasa could see the sweat built up on the back of her neck. She took a deep breath in through her mouth, not wanting to tempt herself with another smell, and stepped further into the room.

“What do _you_ want?” Annie's tone was cold, but breathless. 

Mikasa leaned on the wall opposite the cell. She really didn’t have a good reason for coming in here, against her uncles orders no less. She had no business being anywhere near this room. Still… there was something about the small blonde that she couldn’t resist. She wanted to find out what that was.

“I have some more questions.”

Annie's shoulders tensed but said nothing, letting the silence sit between them. Mikasa shifted.

Then, the other girl's eyes were locked with her own. Annie twisted her body and sat up on the bed. She didn’t look good. There were dark bags under her eyes, hinting she hadn't slept, and there was a light sheen of sweat covering her body, head to toe. She sat with her thighs pushed together and her hands bracing her body on either side of her, grasping the bedsheets. Still, despite her appearance, Mikasa took a sharp breath in and her pulse quickened. Her Alpha pheromones being instinctually released due to being in the presence of an unmated Omega near their heat. The Omega sighed quietly, warmth blossoming between her legs. 

Annie was still looking at her, waiting. Mikasa cleared her throat. 

“Do you… Why do I feel like this around you?”

Annie rubbed her arm. “Because my heat.” Her voice was smaller than before. 

“That's not what I meant and you know it.” A small growl was released from her throat as she said it. She saw Annie flinch slightly at the sound and felt a small sliver of regret before it was washed away by the sound of Annie's hammering pulse. Mikasa's eyes widened. The Omega wasn’t afraid of the sound at all. 

“Before…” Mikasa was having a hard time thinking clearly. “Even before your heat I felt like this. Why?”

Annie shrugged helplessly, “I don’t know.” She whispered, looking down. She seemed just as lost as Mikasa. She shifted in her seat, thighs sliding together, sending another wave of arousal through her body. She whimpered quietly. 

Another growl made its way up Mikasa’s throat and through her gritted teeth at the sound. She could practically taste the Omegas arousal in the air. Her cock twitched in her jeans. She could feel herself slipping away. Why was this girl affecting her so much? She had been around other Omegas in heat before, hell, she practically grew up comforting Armin during his. None made her feel like this. So… out of control.

“I should go.” Mikasa didn’t know if she was saying it more to herself or the other girl. She stood up straight and took a few steps towards the door. Her feet felt heavy and her thoughts were foggy. Mikasa had a feeling that if she didn’t get out now, she wouldn't be able to leave later.

She almost missed the quiet voice behind her.

“Wait…”

The Alpha froze. She heard the other girl move and looked back towards the cell. Annie stumbled to her feet, breath coming heavily out of her lungs. She made her way slowly to the bars in front of Mikasa. Each step sent the smell of her arousal wafting through the room and up Mikasa’s nose. Her eyes darkened and she felt a sharp and demanding pull in her chest.

Annie made it to the bars and grabbed one in each hand, framing her face. 

“Just… stay.” She rested her damp forehead on the cool metal. “Just for a minute. Your presence helps.”

Mikasa hadn't even realized she was moving until she was standing directly in front of the other girl on the opposite side of the bars. She watched the smaller girl with lidded eyes. The Omega was practically panting now due to their proximity. Mikasa’s pants felt tight. She reached out to grip the cage as well, stepping closer. Her hands were set wide enough on the bars so they bracketed Annie's small body between them. Mikasa towered over her, and this time it felt entirely different. This time, she loved the way Annie had to crane her head up to look at her, the way her hands looked giant on the bars compared to the Omegas.

Neither of them wanted to break first. Long seconds passed with them just standing close to one another. The comfort that Annie felt by the Alpha's closeness was quickly turning into something else and Mikasa had begun taking deep breaths through her mouth in order to calm herself down. Both of their pheromones were starting to mix in the air, clouding their judgment further as the aroma around them became heady.

Annie looked heatedly up through her lashes into Mikasa's eyes and, unable to take it anymore, whimpered and tilted her head, barring her neck to the Alpha in front of her. Satisfaction swelled in Mikasa at the sight, a low, possessive rumble came from deep within her chest as her dominant pheromones pumped into the air. Annie pushed herself desperately up against the cage and reached a shaky hand through the bars towards Mikasa’s hip. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mikasa knew she probably shouldn’t let her do that, but she couldn’t find it in her to stop the smaller girl. 

Annie curled a hesitant finger around Mikasa’s belt loop and pulled her hips forward, so that her groin was pressed between the bars.

“Stop.” Mikasa didn't make an effort to stop the Omega physically, her hands remained on the bars and her knuckles were white with strain. 

“I can’t.” Annie whispered, head still tilted sideways. She was so desperate with need that she looked like she was about to cry. “Please…” 

Her other hand reached out to cup Mikasa's bulge through her jeans. Mikasa grunted and involuntarily thrust her hips into the Omegas hand, cock now straining painfully against her pants. 

“Fuck.”

It was Mikasa’s turn to lean her forehead against the bars. They were both panting deeply, trying to hang on to the final strand of control. 

Annie then turned back to Mikasa, eyes begging. “Please…” She whined with desire. “Alpha…”

The strand snapped.

Something primal awakened in Mikasa and a loud, desperate growl ripped its way through her throat as she shot her hand through the bars to grip Annie's chin with her long fingers, pulling her forward. Annie only moaned in response and rubbed Mikasa's cock through her pants more urgently. 

“Such a needy Omega.” Mikasa said lowly, voice hoarse. 

Annie's jaw opened slightly when she gasped. Mikasa took the opportunity to slide her thumb across the girl's cheek and past her lips, pushing the appendage into the Omegas waiting mouth. Annie sucked on it eagerly, running her tongue over the pad before taking more of it into her mouth. Mikasa watched on with lustful eyes.

“Good girl.” 

Annie shuttered, the words sinking right to the bottom of her stomach, and released Mikasa’s thumb to speak. “Alpha.” she begged, popping open the button on Mikasa’s pants.

Mikasa couldn't look away from her face. It was painted with arousal, need, and desperation. Mikasa wanted to take her. They both moaned when Annie's hand slipped into her pants and groped her erection over her boxers. 

“Please.. I need it.”

Mikasa didn't need to be asked twice and stepped back, scrambling for her keycard in her back pocket. She got it out and quickly swiped it next to the cell door.

A loud beep. Access denied.

Mikasa growled and went to try again but was shoved out of the way before she could.

“What are you doing!?” Sasha asked wildly. Mikasa hadn't even noticed her come in. 

Mikasa tried to push her way past the other girl but was stopped once again. “Mikasa, listen to me, you're not thinking clearly you have to—” She was cut off by Mikasa's foot connecting with her chest. The force of the kick sent her flying across the room and slamming into the opposite wall, slumping to the floor. Mikasa was too far gone to care.

She willed her hand to stop shaking and swiped it again.

This time, a loud buzz. Access granted.

She shoved the cell door open and stalked to Annie with large strides. The other girl met her halfway, practically leaping into the Alpha's arms. Mikasa pulled the Omega in by her hips while simultaneously walking her backwards to roughly slam her into the bars of the cell. 

Annie was whining with every breath now, desperately clawing at the taller girls shoulders to pull her in closer. Mikasa let out another low growl and watched with delight as the Omegas head fell to the side again to show her throat, the ultimate sign of submission. Mikasa licked her lips and pressed her face into the crook of the girl's exposed neck, inhaling the Omegas sweet scent as it seeped out of her gland behind her ear. _Mine._

Mikasa hummed happily as her hands possessively roamed the Omegas hips. She nipped teasingly at the girl's neck, directly over where a mating bite would go, and Annie arched up into her, pushing her chest into Mikasa's. Mikasa pulled back to cup the smaller girl's face. Annie leaned into it heavily and looked up. Her pupils were blown wide with desire, surely matching Mikasa's own. Without breaking eye-contact Mikasa slid her leg between the Omegas and watched as her jaw slacked with a silent moan. Annie gasped sharply and immediately started to grind down on her thigh, her arms wrapped around Mikasa's shoulders, relieved to finally have some friction. Mikasa could feel the girls heat through her jeans. She released her hand from the smaller girl's face and ran it down her body before pushing it down her pants, cupping the Omega over her underwear. Mikasa groaned as she slid her fingers over the cloth, her panties were soaked. Wet enough that through the fabric, Mikasa was able to sink her fingers into the Omegas entrance up to the first knuckle, and then pushed deeper when Annie choked a moan.

“Look at you,” Mikasa said hotly, “So wet for me already.” Their faces were close, lips almost brushing, sharing air.

Annie couldn't speak, she let her head fall onto the Alpha’s shoulder as she thrusted frantically into her fingers. She could feel Mikasa's throbbing erection pressing against her stomach. The Omega needed her achingly. 

Mikasa was about to pull her underwear aside and let her fingers slide all the way into her slick heat, when the scent of another Alpha in the room stopped her. Annie sensed it too, her body stiffened and she curled closer to Mikasa, hiding herself behind the taller girl's body. The Alpha whipped around, a menacing growl came from her throat, warning whoever it was to back off. 

Before she even realized what was happening, someone grabbed the collar of her shirt and ripped her away from the Omega, sending her reeling to the ground. Anger flared in Mikasa's chest. She looked up from her knelt position on the floor at her attacker, to find Levi standing above. Under normal circumstances, she would have backed down immediately, never wanting to disrespect her superior, her family, but this circumstance definitely wasn’t normal. Mikasa was in such a feral state that she only saw him as a threat, an obstacle. Just another Alpha trying to claim what was hers. She wasn’t going to let that happen.

She growled at him, snapping her jaw and showing her teeth disrespectfully, defiantly. She pushed her aggressive pheromones into the air and her eyes went black with rage. He looked at her with pinched eyebrows, then promptly punched her in the face. She didn't have time to recover before the second blow came, whipping her head in the opposite direction. She felt her lip split and tasted copper in her mouth. A kick to the stomach and she slumped to the ground, coughing. The stitches in her side tugged painfully. 

She craned her neck up from her spot on the floor to see Annie being held back by Armin and Sasha, the former struggling in their grip trying to drag herself to Mikasa's side. Protectiveness burned through Mikasa like fire. 

“Don’t touch her.” She snarled, getting to her feet, ready to fight anyone and anything that got in her way, only to have her legs kicked out from underneath her. She landed flat on her back and a foot slammed on her chest keeping her in place. She gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. 

“Stop! Leave her alone!” Annie's voice. 

Levi ignored the Omega, his eyes trained on Mikasa as he looked down on her. She was still snarling and her eyes were wild as she tried to unpin herself. 

“Come on kid…” Levi said in an even voice, raising his heel again and bringing it back down sharply. Air rushed from Mikasa's lungs. “Snap out of it.”

She distantly heard Armin say something to Sasha, but it was muffled by the ringing in her ears. Her desperation started to turn to fear, she couldn't move, she couldn't hear, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't _think_. The only thing she was aware of was the scent of Annie, and she was suffocating. She felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes and she thrashed harder under Levi. She needed to escape, she needed to make sure Annie was ok.

Suddenly her face was being cupped and a soft voice was speaking to her. Calming pheromones gently pushed through the air, and the inferno in her chest started to dissipate.

“Mikasa, breathe.” 

Armin. She tried to speak only to choke on her words and gasp for air. 

“Look at me.” 

She looked into his eyes as he took large, exaggerated breaths, prompting her to follow. It took a few minutes before her breathing was somewhat under control and Armin turned to Levi, tapping his leg that was still on Mikasa’s chest. Levi looked at him warily before slowly removing it. Armin turned back to the girl on the floor, who was now trying, and failing, to get back up again.

Armin pushed her down again. “Mikasa, calm down, you're ok.” Mikasa's eyes were still frantic. “Look she's fine, see?” 

Mikasa swiveled her head quickly to confirm his words. Annie had her knees on the floor and she looked shaken, but she wasn't struggling in Sasha's grip anymore. The Beta still held an arm to her chest and a hand on the Omegas shoulder, but her hold was looser than before. 

The pair made eye contact and Mikasa felt the tension seep out of her. She extended her arm across the floor, reaching for the other girl with an open hand. Annie copied her movements, leaning forward to brush her fingers over the Alphas palm. Annie’s shoulders relaxed and she exhaled a shaky, relieved breath. Mikasa swallowed and tightened her hand around Annie's fingers. She was ok.

The haze lifted from over her eyes, clearing her head. 

A beat.

Then, realization. It dawned on them simultaneously, and both sets of eyes widened as they looked at each other. What the _fuck_ just happened? Annie jerked her hand back, looking confused and alarmed and Mikasa looked back with wide, baffled eyes. She had lost control. 

Before anyone had the chance to do anything, someone fisted the front of her shirt and she was being wrenched up to her feet. She stumbled after Levi as he dragged her out of the room.

“Armin, Sasha. Make sure she's ok.” He nodded his head towards Annie. “I’ll take care of this one.” 

The last thing she saw before the door was slammed behind her was the blue of Annie’s eyes. Her heart skipped.

_Shit._

**Author's Note:**

> *claps hands together* Folks. This one's a doozy.
> 
> I had that last scene of Mikasa and Annie stuck in my head for a long time so I finally wrote it. Then I said, "What if I made this more complicated and convoluted than it ever needed to be? Oh, and what if I added zombies?" And then I did it.
> 
> In all seriousness, I put a LOT of time and effort into this first chapter, I mean look at it it's damn near 20,000 words. That being said please don't expect weekly updates, my writing process takes a long time because I write one sentence and my brain goes, "Good job. Take the rest of the day off." I'm thinking every few weeks I'll have a new update, but don't worry, they'll be long chapters like this one was. 
> 
> I may or may not have to change the rating for later chapters O.o for now though I'll just leave it on M. But, since this IS an A/B/O fic, things are gonna get a little... ahem, spicy. There will be four main ships in this story but I'm not going to tag the other three just yet ;) I want to see if y'all can guess them. There were hints to all of them in this chapter so guess away. 
> 
> Also tell me what you guys think!! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, even if it's just a "nice" lol. I love chatting with people about my story :) and as always, constructive criticism is appreciated. 
> 
> Happy 2021 y'all. Buckle in.
> 
> \- J


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